First, the eggs are incubated, with carers turning each one by hand three times a day, until they hatch after roughly 30 days. The process to hatch and raise the chicks is broken into several key stages. By removing the second egg from each known nest in the wetlands, and raising the chick to adolescence in the rearing and rehabilitation facility, the chances of the shoebill chicks surviving is greatly improved. It is this ‘back-up’ that has allowed Bangweulu’s shoebill experts to help grow the species’ numbers. However, the ‘spare’ chicks are equally genetically viable and just as valuable as the older sibling. These younger chicks are therefore an insurance policy or ‘spares’ in the event that the first chick dies. Like many bird species, the older and bigger chick has a several-day head start and may outcompete its smaller sibling for food. The female lays between one and three eggs at a time during breeding season (May to October in Zambia). Shoebills are monogamous and each pair prefers to build its nest away from other birds. With only two known instances of shoebills being reared in captivity (one in Belgium and one in Florida, USA), this project is ground-breaking in learning more about the species and in the methods used to do so. With this facility established and all chicks planned for release back into the region, it’s hoped that breeding success will increase and the overall conservation of shoebills within Bangweulu Wetlands will be enhanced. The facility, which is the first of its kind in the world, has been installed with state-of-the art incubators and brooders to care for shoebill chicks at every stage of their development. In May 2022, the Shoebill Captive Rearing and Rehabilitation Facility was established in the heart of Bangweulu Wetlands in collaboration with African Wildlife Conservation Foundation and Ashia Cheetah Conservation. Eight years later, the concept was finally realised. Highlighted in this Management Plan was a facility designed to rear chicks in captivity to increase breeding success in the Game Management Areas. This year, 26 community members were employed for up to six months at a time to look after 13 nests and their inhabitants.įollowing the initiation of the nest protection programme, African Parks, in partnership with Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), drafted a comprehensive Shoebill Management Plan to prioritise the conservation of this species. Through this programme, community members are employed as guardians to protect the Bangweulu shoebills on a 24-hour basis during peak nesting season between June and November. First of its kindĪfter assuming management of Bangweulu’s community-owned protected area in 2008, African Parks developed the Shoebill Nest Protection Programme in 2012, to ensure the protection of Bangweulu’s threatened shoebills. As a result, in Bangweulu Wetlands, the southernmost range for shoebills, only a few hundred individuals exist. Listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, their numbers are under continuous decline due to their slow breeding habits exacerbated by the illegal pet trade which targets their eggs and chicks, as well as hunting, nest disturbance and overall habitat loss. Today, there are no more than 8,000 birds left in the wild. Known for their odd appearance, shoebills face myriad threats across their range in tropical central-eastern Africa, from South Sudan to Zambia. Not only does this unique and exceptional area provide a haven for wildlife, but it’s an ideal habitat for a rich diversity of birdlife, including the shoebill ( Balaeniceps rex). Our team in Bangweulu has launched a one-of-kind project – including rallying a little help from some Muppet friends - to ensure we don’t lose Bangweulu’s iconic shoebill.īangweulu Wetlands is made up of seasonal floodplains and swamplands dominated by extensive stands of papyrus, floating grasses and reeds, all creating a lush 6,000km2 wetland landscape. But with growing pressure on their survival, this species has required a carefully thought-out and innovative approach to saving its kind. Bangweulu Wetlands in Zambia, is home to one of Africa’s most unique birds, the shoebill.
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